I've been reading several books on the martial arts of the Philippines to broaden my horizons as I had only a vague inclination of what they were. They also have a similar feel to the art I've just started Pencak Silat. As I take a hopological approach to my academic studies of martial arts, I have to have a cultural context to put the art. The martial art by itself doesn't make as much sense until you know more about the culture and traditions that birthed it. This book does a good job of starting with that cultural context and then going into the how and why of the techniques.

Content

This book is divided into 8 chapters. The first one deals with the history of one particular school of FMA called Derobio Escrima. It starts with stories of how Mr. Medina's teacher's teacher learned Escrima and how Escrima was passed down to himself. It also takes an honest look at the what the author calls the "supernatural" aspects of Derobio Escrima. The short second chapter deals with the weapons that are employed in Derobio Escrima. From there is goes through the setup of the basics, including rank structure, or this particular Escrima school. The rest of the chapters then build up through more and more complex ideas and movements what I assume are the basics for the school.

Pros

I have to say, the part I liked the most was the first couple chapters of the stories of the past masters. I really enjoyed the tales of the exploits of people who actually had to use their arts for survival situations. Whether or not the tales are 100% accurate is almost inconsequential. I study aikido, and the tales of O-Sensei are of legendary status as well.

In the second chapter, dealing with the weapons, I really appreciated the pictures showing the different types and varieties of the weapons. That may just be my geekdom coming out, but I spent more time that I should have staring at the pictures trying to determine which weapons were which, and imagining how they would feel to swing them.

The techniques section of the book was well written, and was filled with loads of pictures. Enough to actually follow what the movements are supposed to be. That's a good thing, as a lot of books (though they've been getting better in the last decade or so) have pictures that seem to jump around, or really only make sense if you know what the movements are (which kinda defeats the purpose of them).

Cons

My only negative might be the limited usefulness of the book. If you are in an Escrima, other FMA, or something similar, then I think this would be an extremely useful book. At the very least for looking at another school's thoughts on martial arts. However, if you are a karateka, or a BJJ guy, I don't know how useful the technique part would be.

Conclusion

My rating scale for books is based on a three part matrix concerning ability to present information, enjoyability of reading it, and (for the purposes of this blog) usefulness to all martial artists. The first two characteristics for this book are both very high. The only downfall is who this book is aimed at. I don't think it is meant to be a "hey here's how to use Escrima in YOUR art." book. It is a record and exposure of a specific school of Escrima. As I said, if that is your chosen art, then this book is right up your alley. All of that being said, I'm going to give this book 4 out of 5 Ninja Stars. The beginning chapters about the history and the weapons were the part I got the most out of, but I really do feel that with a skilled and dedicated partner, the techniques in the rest of the book could be studied, and learned to a certain degree of competency.

I've been doing quite a bit of reading up on Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) and this was the next book on my list. I have to say, this was an unusual book, in that it had a specific goal of talking about the FMA Arnis de Mano that is the sport and educational portion of the martial arts of the Philippines. It has been deemed the national sport of the Philippines, and as such this was indeed a necessary book, especially in English when the US has increasing numbers of FMA practitioners.

Content

FMA Education starts with an overview of the physical philosophy that Arnis de Mano exemplifies. It explains the basic ideas that are taught in this particular branch of Filipino Martial Arts. It then goes through the basic ways to break down the types of strikes, and how Arnis de Mano number their strikes, as well as how some other systems do. This is done to show that more is the same in their techniques than is different. After the basic strikes are detailed, then the targets of these strikes. There is also a section on drills to develop these strikes. It finishes up with the rules and regulations for the Arnis de Mano competitions.

Pros

I got a lot out of this book despite not being a FMA practitioner. It's most promising aspect was a well thought out plan for teaching the material. This aspect could easily be adapted to any martial art. If you're in the process of laying out the curriculum for a martial art, then this book would be a great template. Look at how the authors have done this, and simply apply the process to your art.

Besides that aspect, the book does a good job at simplifying the ideas to the point where the can be practiced individually until enough skill is built up. Then it gives you more complex drills to practice these more complex ideas again. There are plenty of pictures to show what the ideas being presented look like.

Cons

I don't really have any complaints about the book. It is well presented information. The pictures are easy enough to follow. Not being an FMA practitioner, I don't know how simple, complex, or revolutionary the book is, so I can't judge it based on that criteria. However, if you are not an FMA practitioner, or an instructor looking for a way to organize your martial art, I don't know what you'd get from this book...let me know when you read it (in the comments below).

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I do think it has a somewhat limited audience. If you are in FMA, then I suspect this would be a great help to you. If you are into any sort of stick/blade art, this could be a helpful book. If not, you may still get something out of it like I did. I really appreciated the organizational aspect of the martial art, as I've been recently thinking about my own art, and how that is organized. That's why I'm going to give this book 3.5 out of 5 Ninja Stars. Not due to any fault of the book's, because it is a very well presented source of information, but rather for the smaller scale of its intended audience. I would still read this book again, and will indeed be keeping it on my bookshelf for as long as I have one.

Introduction Recorded On: 1/28/2017Interlude Music Pt. 1:Oblivion by MastadonInterlude Music Pt. 2:Crack in the Sky by MastadonInterlude Music Pt. 3:Ghosts of Keralia by MastadonInterview:Shifu Jonathan BluesteinHajime no Ippo Research of Martial Arts